Topics

Pop Culture

Popular culture is the entirety of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are preferred by an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the late 20th and early 21st century. Heavily influenced by mass media, this collection of ideas permeates the everyday lives of the society.

Although terms popular culture and pop culture are in some cases used interchangeably, and their meanings partially overlap, the term "pop", which dates from the late 1950s, belongs to a particular society and historical period. Pop refers more specifically to something containing qualities of mass appeal, while "popular" refers to what has gained popularity, regardless of its style.

Popular culture is often viewed as being trivial and dumbed-down in order to find consensual acceptance throughout the mainstream. As a result, it comes under heavy criticism from...

656 Recent Stories

If your favorite part of July 4 celebrations is the fireworks, then we've got a fun gallery for you. We've found five tools that offer virtual fireworks you can enjoy right at your desk. Whether you want to send someone an animated message, play arou...

On this day in 1979, the TPS-L2 went on sale in Japan. It was a notable milestone for music and gadget lovers everywhere as the first affordable portable audio cassette player -- Sony's first Walkman. Years after the "Walkman" name was as synonymous ...

If you're planning on some BBQ action this Fourth of July weekend (and let's face it -- it's basically unpatriotic not to), then we have a host of super-fun accessories to bring some geeky goodness to your gathering. From prep to grilling, right thro...

Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks. This week, cartoon character Nigel Thornberry from the Nickelodeon series The Wild Thornberrys, became a verifiable meme, his incoherent warbling added t...

The Stars of Social Good Series is supported by CITGO and the Fueling Good Campaign, helping to change the world through contributions to local charities. Justin Bieber wants you to build a school, Bono wants you to help Africa, Ed Helms wants you to...

Lady Gaga must spend half of her time in front of the computer. Already a big presence on Facebook and Twitter (not to mention GagaVille), Mother Monster has joined the Tumbeasts. The New York Times reports that Gaga's Tumblr -- titled Amen † Fashion...

These days it seems as if the terms "viral" and "award show" go hand-in-hand. Social media users stand ready to tweet the controversies that celebs seem willing to hand us on a silver platter. Last night's BET Awards were no different. Presenter Tiff...

On this day in 1974, Clyde Dawson made history as the first consumer to buy a product that had been scanned into a till by its Universal Product Code. The product was a $0.67 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum purchased at a supermarket in Troy, Oh...

On June 25, 2009, Twitter and the social web was flooded with the sad and unexpected news that the King of Pop had passed. Rather than dwell on his tabloid-saturated death, we prefer to remember Jackson -- who was born August 29, 1958 -- as the talen...

In honor of GoDaddy’s rumored $2.5 billion sale, we’re humoring your curiosity by featuring its most controversial and memorable ads. Enjoy discreetly. And just like the disclaimer at the end of every GoDaddy commercial, “Warning: web content is unra...

It's Friday, so let's all watch this video of Kellen Mirador Sarmiento -- a.k.a. "The Mini Warbler" -- covering some song from Glee. This child has been tearing it up on YouTube. His first video, "Teenage Dream," scored more than 1 million views. The...

Because no Internet meme is validated unless it comes out in printed form, Keanu Reeves has used the uber popular "Sad Keanu" meme as inspiration for a book. "Sad Keanu" hit last summer courtesy of a glorious paparazzi photo and the folks over at Red...

Anti-bullying videos are taking center stage on Vevo with the premiere of Rise Against's new music video, "Make It Stop (September's Children)." The video is just one of many featured clips from top acts that fight bullying and empower victims to sta...

American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut are set to play in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday. It's a rematch of the silliest, longest, most record-breaking tennis games of all time. Last year, Isner and Mahut played each other in the fi...

As Wimbledon 2011 prepares for an active couple of weeks, we're serving up the best places to watch and follow the tournament online. Plug into live video and radio streaming, access matches via iPad, iPhone and Android apps and follow play-by-play f...

Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks. It was just two months ago that comedian Weird Al Yankovic released a stripped-down video for his parody song "Perform This Way" via YouTube, because Lad...

On Friday, we formally introduced you to the now-famous "Kissing Couple" from the Vancouver Riots 2011. Now, the couple has finally emerged fully from the shadows, via an interview on the Today Show. Soon after the Vancouver Canucks lost game seven o...

Clarence Clemons died Saturday night at the age of 69, immediately followed by an outpouring of grief and remembrance worldwide. The E Street Band saxophonist, known as the "Big Man," was revered for his big tenor sax sound, giant stature, and larger...

Artist Molly Crabapple has just been given $17,000 to lock herself in a paper-covered room for five days and make art until the walls are covered. But that sum didn't come from the National Endowment for the Arts or a wealthy patron; Crabapple, like ...

Warren Packard is the cofounder and CEO of Thuuz, a service that alerts you to the most exciting sports games and matches currently being played or recently completed so that you can experience all the suspense and excitement of the best sports actio...

As the final trailer for the new Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is released and the mysterious new "Pottermore" project emerges, here at Mashable we're buzzing with Hogwarts gossip. Here we look back at all the great H...

Not since the Royal Wedding's "Frowning Flower Girl" have we seen a snap as worthy of remixing. May we introduce: Kissing Vancouver Couple. This image comes courtesy of the riots that erupted after the Vancouver Canucks lost game seven of the Stanley...

The Muppets are out with another parody trailer for their new movie, The Muppets, and this one plays on upcoming film, The Green Lantern. This is the third parody trailer we've seen for the upcoming film, slated for release around Thanksgiving. The f...

Possibly the world's most annoying meme, Nyan Cat, refuses to die -- perhaps because folks keep finding intriguing new directions to take the simplistic meme. Behold: The Nyan Cat time bar. Click on the video above and hover your cursor over the bar ...

Update: Dave Chappelle's people have denied rumors that he will be returning to TV, web or otherwise. “Absolutely untrue,” Chappelle’s rep Carla Simms told EW. Dave Chappelle left many a fan out in the cold when he disappeared from the world of TV co...

Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks. His Holiness the Dalai Lama recently appeared on the Australian morning show Today, and from the looks of things, humor is not his forte. To be fair, tho...

If you already have the Steve Jobs action figure, it's possible that you've been lusting after an Apple-flavored comic book for a while now. Well, lust no longer. This August, Bluewater Productions will be shipping a new comic book, Steve Jobs: Co-Fo...

Twitter is well-known for giving us normal folks access to the day-to-day lives and thoughts of celebrities. It also allows us to imagine said celebrities' day-to-day lives and thoughts through spoof accounts. With hundreds of thousands of Twitter us...

Summer is all about dancing and good times by the beach, which is why we're so happy that the above video has emerged from the mists of time: A talented child voguing to Madonna in 1991. In the video's description, Robert Jeffrey explains: "I perform...

Although tangible photographs will probably be obsolete in 10 years or so, there's something inherently wonderful about old snapshots. A new blog titled Dear Photograph highlights that nostalgic wonder by incorporating old pictures into modern life. ...

Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks. The Blendtec guys are at it again. Their latest victim? The gloriously maned boy king of pop himself, Justin Bieber. In the past Blendtec has demolished ...

Sorry, guys -- unless you have a verified Twitter account, there's no way you're getting into this super cool, super exclusive website. And boy, are you missing out. Actually, we don't really know if you're missing out on anything, because we've only...

Chris Schreiber is director of marketing at social video advertising company Sharethrough. A leading expert on social content strategy, Chris will be co-presenting a two-hour workshop on viral video in June at the Cannes Lions festival, titled "Makin...

The Next Big Thing

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.